a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to electrophysiology catheters. More specifically, the instant invention relates to flexible electrophysiology catheters that are particularly suitable for use with steerable introducer sheaths, including so-called pre-curved introducer sheaths that are manually manipulated to a desired target tissue location within the heart or vasculature (all of which are collectively to herein as steerable introducer sheaths).
b. Background Art
Catheters are used for an ever growing number of medical procedures. To name just a few examples, catheters are used for diagnostic, therapeutic, and ablative procedures. Typically, the physician manipulates the catheter through the patient's vasculature to the intended site, such as a site within the patient's heart. The catheter typically carries one or more electrodes (in the case of so-called “electrophysiology catheters”) or other diagnostic or therapeutic devices, which may be used for ablation, diagnosis, cardiac mapping, or the like.
It is known that, to facilitate placement of the diagnostic or therapeutic catheter at a location of interest within the patient, it may be introduced through another catheter, commonly known as a “guiding catheter” or “introducer catheter,” and the terms will be used interchangeably herein. Generally speaking, an introducer catheter is a tube having a high degree of directional control that is used to place other medical devices, including other catheters, which may have little or no directional control, into specific areas of the patient's body.
The path a catheter must navigate within a patient is often long and tortuous. It is known, therefore, to utilize one or more pull wires, which are typically offset from the central longitudinal axis of the catheter and which may be attached to one or more pull rings proximate the distal end of the catheter shaft, to manipulate the distal end of the catheter. For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/779,488, which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein, describes a steerable introducer catheter. Steerable electrophysiology catheters are also known.